Saturday, December 14, 2013

Guest Post w/ Laurie London! + giveaway

Morning yall! Laurie London's joining us today with a little re-write of a scene from her newest ;) I picked up my first by Laurie this past year and just flipping loved her vamps. So didn't hurt it was my favorite theme of fake mates. And, well, the hero was sexy and tortured. Gah. Girly heaven. I got to meet her back in Feb too! Always fun. Anywho. Check out her post and leave her some love! ~Anna

Hidden within the rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest, Iron Portals separate the modern and ancient worlds. Only a chosen few, Warriors of the Iron Guild, know their locations.

For years, Olivia Crawford has kept a low profile in order to keep her para-ability secret. If the army finds out she’s a Healer-Talent, they’ll force her to work for them—just like her brother who was taken as a boy and never seen again. But when a terrible explosion rocks New Seattle, she risks everything to save the injured, including a handsome stranger with secrets of his own.

Blaming himself for the death of a friend, Iron Guild warrior Asher Kane vows to bring those responsible to justice. After he's hurt on a mission and nursed back to health by a beautiful yet mysterious woman, this dangerously sexy bad-boy finds himself falling for her…even as he struggles to stay away.

But stalking them on the streets of New Seattle is a cruel and vengeful evil—one that threatens to destroy them both…

To help celebrate, I’ve rewritten an early scene in ROGUE’S PASSION, Iron Portal #2, just for you guys. Enjoy!

To the casual observer at the Apocalypse Tonight Club, Asher Kane looked like he belonged. Two women sat beside him in the high-backed booth, laughing animatedly at his jokes that weren’t very funny. With a pitcher of beer and a collection of empties, he seemed no different from any other guy in the place hoping to score some action tonight.

“Ready, ladies?” he asked.

The blond pursed her lips into a pouty frown. “So soon?”

Clearly she wasn’t surprised by his assumption that they were going to be leaving with him. She was expecting to hook up…just maybe not this fast.

“Both of us? Together?” Her best friend, a brunette, placed a hand on his thigh and slid it north.

That would be a big fat yes. “Only if you want to.”

He leaned over and kissed her—Anna? Annie?—then the other one—Julie? Julia? They scooted a little closer until their breasts were pressed against his biceps.

Although he’d been told their names a few times, he’d forgotten them already. A twinge of guilt lodged in his throat. He prided himself on always remembering the names of the women he slept with. As an Iron Guild warrior, honor and respect, even in the smallest ways, were not taken lightly.

“And only if you like dogs,” he said, smiling, though he was serious. Conry was his touchstone. If a woman didn’t like dogs, Asher moved on.

“Dogs?” they asked in unison.

“Wherever I go, he goes. But he’s quiet. You’ll never know he’s there.”

Through the window, he could just make out the lanky, wiry-coated animal in the shadows across the street. Although Conry could fend for himself, Asher had picked this precise spot in the club because he could keep an eye on him from here.

Interesting. A woman was with him.

He sat up straighter. He couldn’t make out her face, but she wore a short green dress and cowboy boots. There was a dish of water that hadn’t been there before, and as Conry drank, she stroked his head. Was she talking to him? What was she saying? She stood, turned quickly enough that her skirt twirled up, exposing the backs of her thighs, and went back inside the building.

A smile crept to his lips. He liked it when people were kind to his dog. Especially pretty girls.

“You bring him out clubbing?” Anna asked, turning to look. “I love dogs. I have a greyhound pup at home.”

The deerhound had retreated into the shadow of the awning, just the tip of his tail showing now. He was looking in the direction the woman had gone and not here, where he knew Asher was.

How strange. Conry wasn’t overly affectionate with people he didn’t know. Most of the time, he stood off to the side, watching and taking in everything. He wasn’t the type of dog who lay at your feet, rolled over to his back, and wanted you to scratch his belly. He had more dignity than that.

Hell, was he wagging his tail?

“I don’t see him,” Julie said. “Where is he?”

He suddenly didn’t want to point him out. What if they wanted to go over there and pet him? Conry would let them, of course, but there was something about the way he was acting with the woman in the cowboy boots that Asher found intriguing. He didn’t want to spoil it.

In fact, now that he thought about it, he wanted to check her out, too. He fired off some lame excuse about forgetting a prior engagement.

“But what about our plans?” Anna asked, the sequins of her crimson top shimmering in the dim light.

“Yeah, I thought we were leaving together,” Julie chimed in.

“I’m sorry, ladies.” And he really did feel bad. He didn’t like to lead women on. He was a man of his word in and out of the bedroom.

For a brief moment, he considered taking them to the dark hallway near the restrooms that he’d spotted earlier. Ten, fifteen minutes tops was all he’d need to satisfy the two of them as well as himself. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d made two women come simultaneously.

There was Conry, wagging his tail again. What was going on?

He stood up. “Another time, ladies. I’ll be here tomorrow night.”

Thank you to Herding Cats and Burning Soup for having me on today as part of your Authors For the Holidays feature.

May your holidays be joyful and bright and you get your heart’s desire…unlike poor Anna and Julie who went home without the hot guy. ;-)

FTC Disclaimer: The books I review come from a number of places...ones I have purchased, some provided by authors or publishers in exchange for honest reviews (yeah some of those get DNF'd and 1 stars too) and some I've received from friends. I'll always give yall exactly what I think regardless of how the books ended up on my shelf.

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